Wayne Chism came here and did pretty much exactly what you’d expect him to do, which can be good or bad depending on what you thought of him prior to coming to the camp. A sub-par NBA athlete with an inconsistent but somewhat effective three-point shot, Chism brings a few skills to the table to go along with a tough and smart approach to the game.

He played good post defense here and rebounded a bit better than he has in college, while also being a key factor on the team that finished second in the tournament (and probably would’ve been first if not for Jerome Randle suffering from food poisoning). He did a good job playing the pick-and-roll on the offensive end, though his outside shot was inconsistent as usual.

Projecting to the NBA, Chism doesn’t have ideal physical attributes to guard the power forward or center position, and his future in the league may depend on developing into a more reliable spot-up shooter, which could lead to him finding a Brian Cook-like niche. Unlikely to be drafted, but surely to get looks in summer camp and training league, Chism could find a spot in the league, but likely will need to develop something he can rely on to consistently contribute value, with his spot-up shot being the most likely thing he could improve. [Read Full Article]Top NBA Draft Prospects in the SEC (Part Three: #11-15)September 23, 2009Joey Whelan

The Tennessee Volunteers are primed for a big season, just one year removed from winning 21 games, Bruce Pearl’s squad returns nearly everyone and will have a couple of key additions as well. There will be no shortage of perimeter athletes for the Vols, but the state of the frontcourt will rest largely on the shoulders of senior forward Wayne Chism. The Jackson native is coming off a career year where he averaged 13.7 points and 8 rebounds as a junior, but saw his field goal and perimeter shooting percentages take a slight dip – likely due to an increased number of touches. Regardless, Chism is going to need a big year in order to help Tennessee make a late run into the month of March and help raise his stock as a pro prospect in the process.

When we last examined Chism before his junior season began, a major strike against him was the need to add more strength to his 6-9 frame. Now packing over 240 pounds, it appears as though he has certainly spent some considerable time in the weight room, proving to be much stronger inside than he had been previously. He shows moderate quickness in the post, but as we have mentioned in the past, the upperclassman is never going to garner significant looks based on his physical tools alone, as he simply doesn’t possess anything more than average athleticism for a big man.

Even as a face up forward who likes to roam the perimeter, Chism gets the bulk of his touches in the post. He does an excellent job of establishing position thanks to his added strength, and exhibits pretty soft hands as well. Despite these attributes, Chism leaves a lot to be desired offensively on the block, connecting on less than 40 percent of his shot attempts down low. His back to the basket game, despite showing promise earlier in his career hasn’t really developed much in the last year, still relying mainly on the basic principle of trying to back his man down and lofting a quick jump hook over him. While this may work with moderate consistency at the college level, Chism’s lack of leaping ability will make it almost impossible for him to be successful with this move against pro defenders. While he does show a soft touch from time to time, he tends to rush his moves against tougher defenders, often line driving his attempts at the rim. He has shown an improvement in recognizing oncoming double teams in the post, but his decision making skills as a passer still have a ways to go, as the majority of his turnovers come from ill advised passes from the block.

As we have talked about in the past, Chism’s ability to shoot in spurts it what has drawn the most attention to his game. By no means a consistent perimeter threat, the senior can go for short stretches where is a legitimate threat to connect on three-point tries. However, he did shoot a career low 32 percent on these shot attempts last season, albeit on a career high 128 attempts. In the past we have criticized his shooting form and lack of a consistent release point, while praising his quick release. Last season things seemed to reverse somewhat as his form started to show more signs of fluidity while he release slowed significantly. Chism still has a high release point on his shot though he tends to push his shot quite a bit, meaning he needs room to operate. He has yet to show much of an ability to shoot off the dribble and rarely if ever will attempt a jump shot that isn’t a three-point try.

What has been encouraging to see from the senior is a continued improvement in his abilities to finish the looks he gets around the basket. Chism shot 55 percent of better on attempts he got in transition, as a result of offensive rebounds or on moving without the ball in the paint. The added bulk he put on during the offseason allows him to finish with contact, though he still gets a number of shots altered as a result of his poor vertical. He doesn’t run the floor exceptionally well, but has a good sense of where to position himself on the floor, getting a fair number of his points on the break as a trail man spotting up for perimeter jumpers. He also gets to the free throw line at a solid rate, and improved his shooting from the charity stride significantly this past season, from 56% to 72%.

Not much has changed for Chism in regards to his play on the defensive end of the floor. He is still very foul prone, still struggles when forced to step away from the basket, and still gets beaten off the dribble by quicker players on a regular basis. He has improved in regards to holding his position better on the block, but taller post players can still shoot over him fairly easy. At the very least, Chism is going to need to do a better job of hedging on the pick and roll and contesting mid-range jumpers this season. On the positive side, he is a very solid defensive rebounder.

Chism continues to improve himself as a player, slowly but surely. He saw significant increases in his production across the board last year despite seeing just a three minute increase in playing time. He is a strong finisher inside who does an excellent job on the glass thanks to his work ethic and hustle – qualities that are sure to endear him to at least some NBA scouts. The fact remains though, that he has yet to prove himself as a consistent scorer in really any area on the floor and he very much looks like he would be a defensive liability at the next level. There is no denying the senior has some talent and ability, but he needs to show some significant improvements in his skill level to make up for his lack of explosive athleticism if he is to have a real shot at sticking in the League. [Read Full Article]Top NBA Draft Prospects in the SEC (Part Three: #11-15)September 23, 2008With a stellar recruiting class coming in this season, Bruce Pearl’s Tennessee Volunteers look to be the toast of the SEC. The veterans are not half bad either, led by lottery hopeful Tyler Smith, point forward J.P. Prince, 6’10 center Brian Williams, and perhaps most importantly, junior power forward Wayne Chism. Chism made notable strides last season in terms of diversifying his offensive game and, with more consistency this coming year, could emerge as one of the better big men in the SEC. Whether or not he is an NBA prospect at this point is unclear, but with more spotlight in Knoxville this year, he will have all of the opportunities in the world to prove himself as one.

Standing at what looks to be a legitimate 6’9 with a good frame, Chism certainly looks the collegiate part. In terms of the NBA, he is an inch or two shorter than the prototypical power forward and it looks as though he could spend some time in the weight room before taking the next step. While he has decent quickness for the post, however, he is a fairly underwhelming leaper . By no means a bad athlete, it regardless won’t be his natural physical tools that force NBA scouts to give him a second look.

Offensively, there is a lot to like about Chism and a lot to dislike. Having made his reputation as a face-up power forward, his percentages leave much to be desired, as last year he regressed to shooting just 32.2% from the beyond the arc on 2.5 attempts per game. Chism has a very quick release and usually shows a high release point that allows him to get his shot off against most post defenders at the collegiate level. The problem, however, are his mechanics, which can be described as erratic at best. Watching his shots bounce off of the rim or off of the backboard, it is clear he needs to work on releasing the ball the same way every time, making sure that his form is consistent, not rushing his attempts, cleaning up his footwork, as well as working on going up straight while shooting instead of jumping into his shot. According to Synergy, jump-shots account for 35% of his offense, so it is absolutely essential that he showcases a more consistent jumper next season.

While most collegiate jump-shooting post men are allergic to the post, one of the nicer aspects to Chism’s offensive arsenal is that he has shown some promise in this area. He has good hands and his touch around the basket is rapidly improving, which despite his shoddy percentages (i.e. 47% FG) allow him to do a decent amount of damage in the post. His quickness and developing footwork make his back to the basket game quite moderately effective at this level, as he relies on turnaround jumpers, jump-hooks, and the occasional offensive rebound and put back for a majority of his post scoring.

There is some concern about how this part of his game might translate to the next level, though, as he is not very strong, nor particularly explosive or tough around the basket, which may hinder him competing against NBA caliber big men. He struggles to finish around the basket already at this level on occasion, blowing more shots around the rim than you’d hope for considering his size.

The other problems that face Chism offensively, though, are very clear. For one, he shoots an abysmal 56% from the foul line, which is certainly problematic considering his reputation as a shooter. He also rarely puts the ball on the floor to beat his defender off the dribble, which is a very strong indictment of his lack of ball-handling abilities. Considering that he is not going to wow NBA scouts in any other specific category, it is up to Chism to put in the work to developing the complete offensive arsenal of a face-up power forward. If he can show flashes of such skills this year, he should get some attention from scouts.

Defensively, Chism has a lot of work to do. For one, he is quite foul prone, averaging 3.0 fouls per game in just 22.4 minutes per game. He gets a majority of these fouls because of his habit of gambling on passes and then overly compensating in the aftermath. His lack of awareness certainly plays a role in his defensive woes as he does his inability to guard men in the post with his body rather than his hands. He shows a lot of potential due to his above average lateral quickness and his size, but he will have to improve next season if he wants to get onto the NBA radar.

It is important to remember that Chism did not even average 10 points per game and he did so on less than 50% shooting from the field. He is very much a developing prospect and in the next year it is essential that he show that he is still improving and diversifying his offensive game and overall feel. Chism has some talent and potential, but he has a long way to go before maximizing his abilities. Next year, however, has to be a step in the right direction if he wants a shot at getting drafted. [Read Full Article]